Even though we are almost 30 years on since American Psycho was published, Patrick Bateman continues to be a popular figure. How does Bateman and other themes of opulence, insecurity, and finding deeper meaning in one’s life still resonate today?

What drives Patrick Bateman to kill (or to fantasize about killing)? What does he get out of it? In the last 30-50 pages of the novel, most or all of the explicit violence ends. How do these pages help to explain the reasons for Bateman’s violent acts (or fantasies)?

American Psycho is, at least in part, a parody of the manners of affluent young professionals in  NYC. What is one moment you found funny and why? If you found not a single moment amusing, why do you think that is? A failure in the novel? Your incapacity to see the humor? The general offensiveness of much of the language and action in the book?